Thomas walker



THOMAS WALKER, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO B. TI-IAYOR; SAID THAYOR ASSIGNOR TO W. W. CHURCHILL, OF BOSTON, AND JOS. BASSLER, OF

QUINOY, MASSACHUSETTS.

REVOLVING BOOT-HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,088, dated June 29, 1852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS VALKER, of Birmingham, in the Kingdom of England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Boots, Shoes, or other Articles of Like Character to be lVorn on the Feet and Having Heels; and I do hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof.

Of the said drawings, Figure 1, denotes a central, vertical, and longitudinal section of the heel,.and part of the sole of a boot or shoe, as made in my improved manner.

Such other figures, as may be necessary t-o illustrate my invention, will be hereinafter referred to, and described.

The principle of my invention, or that which distinguishes it from all others, consists in a peculiar construction of parts constituting a heel, so formed and applied to a boo-t, as to be capa-ble of being rotated or revolved in such manner, as to enable a person, whenever any part of its lower surface or part may be worn away more than the rest, to turn the said heel around in such manner as to bring a fresh or unworn or not so much worn, part or surface into the position the said worn part had previously occupied.

Most persons wear their bo-ot or shoe heels down more on one side of the heel, than on the other, and if the heel is made capable of being readily revolved, the wear can be rendered uniform by simply turning the heel around as often, and to such extent as occasion may require.

The mode, or modes adopted by me for applying heels to boots or shoes, so as to render them capable of being rotated, at the pleasure of the wearer, may be thus described.

Fig. 2 is an underside view of a boot heel, applied to the sole, in accordance with the principle of my invention as represented in Fig. l; Figs. 3, et, 5 and 6, show the parts separately the same letters referring to the same parts, in all of the said figures.

The boot or shoe sole is to be applied to the upper leather in any proper manner; and a suitable seat for the parts a, o, 0, ai, which compose the rotary heel is to be made,

Vtened to the foundation e.

such seat or foundation being seen at c, in Fig. 1.

The part a, is a circular metallic ring, made with an outer and an inner flanch, as seen at f, and g. It is formed to receive the part b, which is a circular disk of leather, or other suitable material, having the form denoted in Figs. 1, 4L, and 5 and 5, the latter of which is a side elevation of it. With such part Z), within it, it is placed on the foundation or seat e, and with a circular ring c, of leather or other suitable material made to surround the part, a. rlhe said ring, c, is next to be nailed, or otherwise properly fas- A top View of the ring, c, is seen in Fig. 4, and a transverse and central section of it, in Fig. 4.

Next the part d, which is. a circular disk of leather, or other suitable material, is placed on, and nailed or otherwise properly secured to, the external fiat face of the part b. This part (Z, may be made of one or more thicknesses of leather, or other suitable material, or materials, and when the several parts above described, are so combined together, the part CZ, together with the part Z), will be capable of being revolved in manner and for the purpose as hereinbefore stated.

Fig. 7 shows a section, and Fig. 8, an underside view of a part of a boot or shoe, showing another mode of constructing a rotary heel. In this case the outer wearing surface or part, is partially composed of a metallic ring d, which is confined to the foundation or body e, of the heel, by a circular disk Z), nailed or otherwise properly fastened to such foundation.

rIhe shape of the part d, is exhibited in cross section, in Figs. 7 and 9 and in bottom view, in Figs. 8 and 9.

Figs. 10, and 10 are top and side views of the part Z), as detached, the holes or places for the confining nails being seen in the said Fig. 10.

Figs. 11, 12, 13, 13', 14, and 14 exhibit a slight modification in the parts and d, which change will be readily perceptible as it consists, simply in making the part a conic frustum, while the inner part of the part d, is formed in accordance therewith.

Another arrangement of the parts which constitute my mode of making the heel is present-ed by Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18; in this there is a conical ring, a, of metal, of a form,

externally, corresponding with that of t-he inner surface of the ring c. This ring is placed with its smallest base upon Vthe foundation, e, and receives within it a conic frustum b, (which is to be conned to the seat, e, by nails or other proper means,) and without it, or on its external curved surface, a ring of leather or other proper material, c; a circular disk d, is nailed to the part, o, and therefore, the two parts, c, and CZ, can

be revolved together, they being kept inV is held in places partly of metal and partly of leather, and so that either the rotary holding surface, or that against which it rests, shall be made of metal. I would remark however, that I do not confine my invention to a rotary heel.

Vhat I claim as of my invention is as follows;` that is to say, I claim- The combination of the four separate pieces, a, b, 0, d; that is to say, the metallic ring a, the leather or flexible disk b, the leather annulus or ring c, and the leather disk d, the said combination being represented in Fig. 1 constructed and arranged and made to operate together substantially as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set Vmy signature this eighth day of July A. D.

THOS. VALKER. [1.. s]

yWitnesses JOHN BARTLY, ROBERT WEBSTER. 

